Couple bound, robbed: Agana Heights residents report home invasion
Native Nashvillian
Your not even safe on United States Territory.
It may be hard to pawn off rare coins with
the local pawn shop on Guam.
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FROM:
http://www.guampdn.com/article/20090103/NEWS01/901030317/1002
Couple bound, robbed: Agana Heights residents report home invasion
By Dionesis Tamondong
Pacific Daily News - Guam
January 3, 2009
An elderly couple was held hostage in their Agana Heights
home while at least two men ransacked their house and
stole thousands of dollars early yesterday morning, one
of the victims said.
Frederick Dumlao, 82, said two men -- one allegedly
wielding a knife -- forced their way into his house
around 2 a.m. The men allegedly bound Dumlao and
his girlfriend, Jacqueline Lee, with duct tape,
threatening to harm them if they didn't comply.
"One of them put a knife to my throat and said,
'Don't move. Don't look at me or you'll get hurt,'"
Dumlao said.
He said the suspects took close to $5,000 in cash,
including some rare coins and jewelry and drove
away in the couple's 2007 Nissan Versa. As of last
night, police were still searching for the sedan.
Dumlao said he and and Lee were fortunate they
weren't seriously harmed during the hourlong ordeal,
but the alleged burglary has left them scared and
frustrated.
The couple had relatives over for dinner that night
to celebrate the new year. Dumlao said he and Lee
fell asleep after midnight.
Around 2:15 a.m., he said, he heard his dog barking
outside, but didn't think much of it since passing
cars usually prompted his dog to make noise.
But suddenly, two men dressed all in black forced
their way into the couple's bedroom, Dumlao said.
He said the invaders bound his wrists and ankles
tightly with duct tape, then forced him to lie
facedown on his bed. Then they tied Lee's wrists,
but ran out of tape, Lee said, so they grabbed
some cloth to bind her ankles.
"I was worried about him because he had heart
surgery a few years ago," Lee said.
Dumlao said the men were speaking in English and
Chamorro. Lee said she heard them speaking to
another man who may have been keeping watch in
the front of the house.
Dumlao said the men were wearing black clothing
from head to toe, including hoods, masks and gloves.
"All we could see is their eyes," Dumlao said.
He said the men stole his money belt, which he
uses when he travels. He said the belt contained
about $4,000, adding that the robbers also took
about $400 from his wallet and $400 from Lee,
and most of Lee's jewelry.
Most of the valuables were kept in a safe, which
was unlocked at the time, and gray metal locker,
which had a padlock. The men were able to open it
after grabbing a bunch of keys in the couple's
bedroom, Dumlao said.
"They even took my ring, which has a big diamond,"
Dumlao said. "The man had trouble taking it from
my finger so he spit on it to get it loose."
He said police told him the men likely broke into
one of the doors of the outside kitchen, an
enclosure at the back of the house. The men then
easily made their way through the back door and
into the bedroom.
"They left black mud all over the house," Lee said.
The couple said they didn't understand why they
would be targeted. Dumlao, a retired civil service
worker with the Navy, said his neighborhood has
always been a peaceful place since he built his
home in the 1960's.
He said he believes the men left through the front
door and would have taken his other car if they
found the keys.
After they left, Lee was able to loosen the tape
on her wrists and help Dumlao from his bonds. Dumlao
then ran to his neighbors across the street to
call police around 3 a.m. "They even cut our phone
lines," he said.
Police are asking for anyone with information to
call police or leave an anonymous tip with Crime
Stoppers.
..